Return-regainer.



W. Wi. WHITE.

RETURN HEGAINER.

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kwis l mlm W. IVI.v WHITEn RETURN HEGAINER APPLICATION FILED MAH. 24. 1916.

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d TRI/97525? i @n /f l i the flow., a chamber at the end of said l ing with the ytail return 'regainen i lli WILLIAM Ivi. WHITE, or MrLwAUKEE, WIscoIvsIn.

RETURN-REGAINER.

Lacanau.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3U, Mlle.

Application led March 24, 1916. Serial No. 86,388.

To all whom t may concern Beit known that I, WILLIAM M. WHITE, a citizen'v of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new-and useful .Improvements in Return T"e'gainers,'of which the following is a speci- '7 ation.

The invention relates toA means for guiding and controlling the water {iowing through a closed conduit.

*They invention designs more particularly to provide in 'the discharge `conduit leading from a water wheel or a centrifugal pump or other hydraulic device, a means for regaining pressure from velocity of the water flowing from said device with good efliciency in as short distance as possible measured in the directionof flow of the water as it issues from the said device.

In water power plants operating under low heads it is necessary to place the water wheel near the level of the water in the tail race inorder that there may be sufficient depth of water above the water wheel at all times to prevent air beingdrawn into the water wheel. By reason of having 'the water wheel near the surface of the tail water it is not possible with the present forms of draft tubes toyregain the energy discharged from water wheel runner with goed eliciency.`

j 'It is'one of the objects of this invention to provide a discharge conduit for water wheels operatingvunder low heads for converting velocity into pressure to increase the effecn tive head acting on the wheel and consequently increase the efficiency of the wheel.

he invention further designs to provide a discharge conduit for water wheels operating under low heads which consists of a straight axis regaining section communicating withthe discharge of the water wheel and gradually increasing in the direction of section, a passageway, preferably annular in section, surrounding and enveloping the iii-st inentioned regaining section communicating with the chamber and gradually increasing in the directionof flow, and a discharge conduit from said enveloping passage communicatwater nearthe lower end of the wheel.-

'lhe'inventionr further designs to provide a new and improved, what I `have termed,

The invention consists in the severalfea# action of a body of ing capacity from entrance-9 todischarge.

10, a deflecting wall ll communicatin with the discharge end l0 of said section an having curved walls 13 and an annular outlet l5 between said curved walls and said de` fleeting wall, an annular regaining section 1G surrounding said section Sand spaced therefrom and extending upwardly from the outlet l5, and a collecting chamber 17 connecting with said section 1G and also surrounding the tube, which chamber has abend 18 for directing the water at an angle through the discharge outlet 19, said discharge outlet 19 being disposed in a plane slightly below the entrance 9 of the section 8. Vith this device the waterl in passing` through the section 8 has some of its velocity changed into pressure after which it passes into the chamber l1 and is turned back and upwardly with a further regain in pressure from velocity through the section `16 and thence it flows around the bend and' out the discharge of the collecting chamber at a lower velocity than its entrance to the device but with increased .pressure and with the turn effected in a short distance. 1

In Fig. 3 I lhave shown the device previously described used as a part of the discharge conduit from a water wheel 20 operating under a low head, the runner `of said wheel being located on a level near the level of the water in the tail race 2l. In this .instance the device is.V made 0f concrete forining the foundation of the plant and comprises a regaining conduit 22 communicating with the wheel 20 and graduallyincreas-` ing in capacity inthe direction 'of How to its ldischarge end 24 which expands outwardly to form a deiiecting chamber 25 having conoidaljwalls 26f,`a bottom 27 and an annular outlet 28 between said wallk 26 and bottom 27,l an annular chamber 29 surround` ing the sald section 22 and spaced therefrom by the walls 30 and extending upwardly from the outlet 28, a collecting chamber 31 communicating With said chamber 29 and eXtending at an angle to that of the regaining sections 22 and 29, said chamber gradually increasing in capacity in the direction of lovv to its discharge at 32 into the tail race 21 though a collecting chamber of uniform cross-section throughout its length may be used if desired.

In some instances I may form the Walls 26and outlets 28 to form a delecting chamber 25 conforming either to the shape of an inclosed hydraucone or a hydraucone regainer, as described in Patent No. 1,223,843 granted to me April 24th, 1917, for apparatus for utilizing the hydraucone action of Water, for the purpose of more eiiciently turning the Water from the chamber 22 through substantially one hundred and eighty degrees into the chamber 29. y

With the discharge conduit above described, velocity of the water passing from the 'Wheel 2 0 is regained into pressure through any or allvof the chambers 22, 29, andk 31 and discharged into the tail Water near the lovver end of the Wheel thereby in'- creasing the effective head and consequently increasing the efficiency of the wheel.

I have described the enveloping passagev'vayr-surrounding the initial regaining sec'- tlorr as annular in section, but I do not limit myself to a true annular section. By annu- .lar.l )passage under these specifications I mean a passage orfseries of passages of greater dimensions circumferentially than radially, and particularlyfone which is manifestly `suitable for the purpose of accomplishing the results herein described.

. The invention thus embodies a return regainervvhereby pressure may be regained from velocity -in a body of Water turned backwardly on itself and then at an angle toits initial direction.

The invention is not to be restricted to the details of `construction herein set forth but may be varied so as to be Within the scope of the appended claims.

I do not claim specifically in this application a device for converting velocity head into pressure head embodying a Water Wheel runner having an open space immediately therebeneath and a deflector across said space leaving a fmree passage from the wheel to`r the center of the deflector, nor a deflectorl projected across said space and arranged substantially at right angles to the rotative axis of the runner as these are claimed in my copending application No. 769,791 entitled, Hydraulic regainers. claim the method of operating Water Wheels which consists in passing an amount of Water through a wheel in excess of the amount required for the maximum efficiency of the Wheel, n or bypassing an amount of Water through the wheel by reason of excess speed Wheel, the same being included in my co-y y pending application No. 774,528, Method of increasing head. v

I do not claim herein the inventionsl as described above but show several elements in common for the purpose of clearness and explanation. I therefore do not intend to dedicate to the public matter herein shown but not claimed, which matter is in common with the abovereferred to copending applications and which is therein fully dcscribed and claimed.

I claim:

l. In a closed conduit, the combination of a pressure regaining section. extending in the direction of flow of the water at entrance, a pressure regaining sec-tion surrounding the initial regaining section, a conoidal deliecting chamber connecting said regaining sections together, and a disriliarge section communicating with said surrounding section.

2. In a closed conduit, the combination of a straight axis conduit of increasing capacity in the direction of flow, a conoidal chamber communicating with said straight axis conduit, and dclicctin'g the Water backward to its initial flow, an annular conduit of increasing capacity in the direction of flow forming a continuation of the discharge end ofthe deiiecting chamber, said conduit surrounding said first named straight axis conduit.

3. In a closed conduit, the combination of a straight axis conduit of increasing capacity iri the direction of-.ov

chamber communicating with duid straight axis conduit,I and deflecting thel water backward to its initial HOW, an aniiular conduit of increasing capacityginfthe direction of flow forming a continuation of .the discharge end of the deflecting chamber, said conduit surrounding said first named straight axis conduit, a discharge section communicating with said surrounding conduit.

4. A device forregaining pressure from velocity of water in motion comprising a casing having a regaining section of gradually increasing capacity in the direction of flow a deflccting chamber communicating with the discharge end of said regaining sec tion, a regaining section communicating with said deiecting chamber and surrounding said first named regaining section, and means for communicating with said last named regaining section for discharging the Water therefrom.

. a conoidal :cesareo -tion surrounding the initial regaining section, a delecting chamber connecting said regaining sections together, and a discharge section communicating with said surround ing section.

`6.The combination with a Water Wheel, of a discharge conduit leading therefrom, said conduit gradually increasing in capacity in the direction of flow, a deilecting chamber communicating with the discharge end of said conduit, a conduit of increasing capacity in the direction oit new communi eating With said deliecting chamber and eX- tending backward to and surrounding said first named conduit.

7. The combination, with a Water Wheel, of a discharge conduit leading thereto including a regaining section gradually increasing in capacity in the direction of ioW, a delecting chamber communicating with the discharge end of said regaininof section, an annular regaining section gradhally increasing in capacity in the direction of lioW and surrounding said first named regaining section, and a discharge section of gradually increasing capacity in the direction of flow communicating with said annular regaining section.

8. The combination, with a Water Wheel, of a discharge conduit leading therefrom including a regaining section gradually increasing in capacity in the direction of flow,y

a hydraucone chamber communicating With the discharge end of said regaining section, a regaining section communicating with the outlet from said liydraucone chamber and surrounding said irst named section.

9. The combination, with a Water Wheel, of a discharge conduit leading thereto iiicluding a regaining section gradually increasing in capacity in the direction of flow,

'a liyiilraucone regainer communicating with the discharge endof said regaining section, an annular regaining section gradually increasing in capacity in the direction of flow 'and surrounding said first named regaining section, and a discharge section of gradually increasing capacity in the direction of loW communicating with said annular regaining section.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 21st day of March, 1916.

WILLIAM M. WHITE.

Witnesses:

T. D. BUTLER, A. V. Graeme. 

